Category: +Did You Know?

Did You Know? Albert Einstein published the general theory of relativity on March 20, 1916. LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? The carnivorous plant known as the Venus Flytrap is native to the United States. I always imagine exotic plants being located overseas somewhere, but the flytrap is native to a 60 mile region around Wilmington, North Carolina. Look out, Tarheels! LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? Albert Einstein published four amazing papers in 1905, the year known as his “Annus Mirabilis” (Latin, “Miraculous Year”). The first was received for publication on March 18. It concerned the “photoelectric effect.” Though Einstein’s later papers were *far* more influential, it was this (comparatively) safe, conservative paper that he won the Nobel Prize for Physics for in 1921–the only Nobel Prize he ever got. LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? This may be a tale for which the world is not yet prepared, but Raffelsia arnoldii is a parasitic plant that produces the largest individual flower in the world, which is around 3 feet across and weighs around 24 pounds. It is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and it stinks like rotting flesh, leading to its nicknames “the corpse flower” and “the meat flower.” Why does it smell that way? To attract insects, of course. Elementary, eh, Watson? LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? The Roman Emperor Tiberius died Mar. 16, A.D. 37–possibly at the instigation (or even at the hands) of his successor, Caligula. Tiberius is mentioned in the New Testament. It was in the 15th year of Tiberius (A.D. 28) that John the Baptist began to preach (Luke 3:1-2) and during his reign that Jesus was crucified. LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators on Mar. 15, 44 B.C. (the “Ides of March”). His death led to the rise of Octavius, who later became the first Roman emperor–Augustus. Julius’s last words do not seem to have been “Et tu, Brute,” however. LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? The awesome Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera The Mikado had its firs performance in London on March 14, 1885. Among other things, this opera gave us the word “pooh-bah” as a fanciful term for a high official. Great plot, hilarious dialogue, beautiful music, and the potential for stunning costumes and set design. It’s no surprise that this has been continuously in production ever since. (At one time I basically memorized the whole opera. I especially like the Canadian Stratford Festival production, available on DVD.) LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? One of the largest, best-documented UFO sightings ever took place on March 13, 1997 over Arizona, Nevada, and northern Mexico. The conventional explanation of the event–known as “the Phoenix lights”–is airplanes and flares dropped from airplanes as part of a military exercise. The exotic explanation is, of course, aliens. LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? The largest animal to have ever lived may be the blue whale, which can grow to be more than 100 feet long and weigh more than 200 tons. It is endangered, with only a few thousand surviving in the world’s oceans. LEARN MORE.

Did You Know? One of the lines in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Modern Major General song is, “I can quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus.” What were his crimes? Heliogabalus is better known today as the Roman Emperor Elagabalus, and his crimes were severe enough that his own guard assassinated him Mar. 11, A.D. 222. LEARN MORE.